When the US came level in the space race

John Glenn was not the first person to orbit the Earth, or even the first US citizen in space. But his orbital flight on 20 February 1962 meant the US had caught up with the Soviet Union in the space race.

He can be seen here climbing into his spacecraft - Friendship 7 - before launch. Glenn orbited the Earth three times during his 5-hour flight. This mission was part of the Mercury programme, which involved six human space flights. Its success led on to the moon-walking Apollo missions.

Like many other astronauts and cosmonauts, after his career in space and the military, Glenn went into politics and served as senator for Ohio from 1974 until he retired in 1999. He was 77 years old when in 1998 when he returned to space on the Discovery space shuttle.

The crucial difference between the US and Soviet space programmes is often overlooked, or glossed over, even today. The Soviet effort was conducted under a shroud of secrecy, while the Americans put their failures as well as their successes on public display.
The US had comprehensively “won the space race” within three years of Glenn’s flight, and it was the Americans’ spirit of optimism and openness which propelled them into the lead.

Ian Hollis
on February 21, 2012 4:10 AM

I remember lying on my back on the lawn, looking up as John Glenns "Frienship 7" raced accross the night sky. I think it was a little silvery point of light. We were so exited when John Glenn announced he could see the lights of Perth Western Australia from his capsule. Wow that was an extremely brave undertaking